Teen Team Features

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We design our Earthwatch Teen Expeditions specifically and exclusively for 15- to 18-year-olds. They’re unlike any other experience a teenager can have.

Do something special this summer: unearth artifacts from one of humankind’s most interesting periods, work in the midst of Colorado’s striking mesas, and meet people from around the world.

The transition from hunting and gathering to farming led to huge changes in how humans relate to each other and to the environment. People began to settle down for the first time, partly because they had to tend crops. This resulted in more people living in the same location, which led to more stratified societies. People also began to use different technologies, such as arrows instead of atlatls (spear launchers).

Archaeologists still have many questions about this transition, which has happened across the world at many different times and many places. Help them find answers by excavating at an ancestral Pueblo community dating from A.D. 550-1300.. You’ll get to dig for artifacts in former households, and middens (trash deposits).

We modern agriculturalists now face serious questions about the sustainability of our resources. Understanding this period of human history matters not just for what it can reveal about communities in the past, but for what it can tell us about our own fate.

Daily life in the field

Itinerary

Days 2–3: Excavation or site surveys, free time or lectures in the evening

Day 4: Lab work and recreational time

Days 5-6: Excavation or site surveys. Research wrap-up and farewell dinner on Day 6

Day 7: Departure of one-week team members; second group of one-week team arrives.

The schedule will repeat for days 7-14.

Each day of an Earthwatch teen expedition offers a balance of hands-on research and the chance to explore your surroundings and get to know the scientists and your teammates. Your team is led not only by professional researchers but also by at least one Earthwatch facilitator, who will always be around to help you get the most out of your experience.

On most days you’ll work at the dig site, which has beautiful views of the surrounding mesas and mountains. Wielding a hand trowel, broom, or screen, you’ll help unearth artifacts, which may include pieces of pottery, stone tools, and animal bones. You may also help with remote sensing surveys to identify areas where something interesting might be beneath the ground. Remote sensing tools give archaeologists an idea of features under the surface without having to dig first.

Back at the lab, you’ll help wash, sort, and label the artifacts you’ve helped collect - perhaps the most important part of strong archaeological research. In the evenings, you’ll hear from the researchers about all sorts of topics related to Southwestern archaeology.

When you’re not at work, you’ll enjoy the Four Corners region of the American Southwest. With your teammates and facilitator(s), you’ll sample some local cuisine and visit some of the area’s many rich historical sites, which might include Hovenweep National Monument and Mesa Verde National Park.

Note: Field conditions and research needs can lead to changes in the itinerary and activities. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding.

Accommodations and Food

Accommodations and Food

Navajo-style cabins

Hearty, healthy food

You’ll stay at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Cortez, Colorado, in Navajo-style log cabins equipped with electricity and wireless Internet access. Each cabin houses up to four people; shower and bathroom facilities are nearby. Most buildings at Crow Canyon have heat and air conditioning.

Crow Canyon’s skilled kitchen staff will prepare breakfast and dinner, which feature hearty entrees and fresh fruits and vegetables. Meals will be served cafeteria-style at communal tables, which will give you a chance to get to know your teammates and the archaeologists. The team will eat picnic lunches at the excavation site.